


Across Seven Lifetimes

by borqui_l



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Folklore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2014-09-19
Packaged: 2018-02-17 23:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2326301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/borqui_l/pseuds/borqui_l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a land of seven soul types, finding your soulmate is rare, even over seven lifetimes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Across Seven Lifetimes

Elena pushed back stray strands of her long blond hair as she continued to study the text in front of her. She only had a few more minutes before she had to get back to her actual job. People like her weren’t allowed to study these sacred texts, they were only for the Malchut and select few of the Tiferet. As a Chesed, she really shouldn’t be in the library at all, but as the highborn of her kind, she could just barely get away with it.

Albion was a great nation that was divided into seven. The Chesed: the kind, the Gevurah: the disciplined, the Tiferet: the compassionate and wise, the Netzach: the strong, the Hod: the selfless, the Yesod: the giving, and the Malchut: the royal. Each of the seven had a highborn family, who in all essence ruled over their kind. All of Albion was ruled by the highborn of the Malchut, and the rest of their kind filling the courts. Each of the seven corresponded to the soul a person was born with. Together, they could serve their purpose fully. It was a known fact that a person had seven souls, seven lifetimes. Each had the potential to be any of the seven, or any combination of them.

Elena nervously checked over her shoulder to see if any of the librarians were nearby. Quietly she turned to the section on soulmates. As she read, she learned that each person released their soul as they died, part of which went into a new body to start it’s next lifetime. The other part would then strive to find it’s missing counterpart to spend the rest of their life with. It was rare to find one's soulmate. There were always new souls, and old souls dying, so it would be exceedingly difficult to find the one that complimented yours just so. Especially in their society, each type was kept deprecate, so it would be even harder to find your match. There were many signs of a soulmate, so many that Elena didn’t bother to read them all. A yell jarred her out of her thoughts.

“Elena! Come child, your carriage awaits you!” yelled her maid Grinhilda.

Quickly, she replaced her books and dashed out of the library. She made it to her chambers and had just sat on her bed when Grinhilda entered.

“What have you been doing all this time?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Oh… just… thinking,” Elena replied, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Grinhilda smiled kindly and sat down next to her. “I know that meeting the highborn child of the Malchut is intimidating, especially knowing your father’s intentions, but they are also a loving soul, even if they are royal.”

Elena looked up, confused. “My father’s intentions?”

Grinhilda’s eyes widened but she said no more, simply ushering Elena down to the gate.

 

**

 

Elena looked up at the castle in front of her. She felt as though even that would could describe the huge, majestic, intimidating building she was now on the steps on. In a daze, she was ushered into the chambers she was to be staying in and before she knew it she was alone again. Her room was tastefully decorated, the curtains and the bedspread being a deep royal purple, very different from the soft yellow at home. Every part of the room reeked of royalty, from the oversized bed, to the large decorated windows, and even a wardrobe so large she could fit her trunk in it two times over.

After taking in her surroundings, she knew she had to leave the room as soon as possible. As a highborn Chesed, she was used to nice things, but never at this level. It was overwhelming and suffocating. She changed into clothing that wouldn’t identify her with any type and quickly left the chambers. After aimlessly wandering the halls for a while, she came across the library. She wandered inside and was amazed by the sheer size of it. The walls were lined with texts, books and scrolls, old and new, all together, stacked almost to the ceiling. By instinct, she immediately went to the back of the room, only to find another woman, immersed in what seemed to be an old text, much like the one she was reading at home.

The woman was pale, but not in a sickly way, with wavy brown hair that ran down her back. Her clothing, like Elena’s, did not belong to a particular soul group. But seeing as she was hiding in the back of a deserted library, Elena guessed that she too was not usually allowed to view the texts she was currently studying. Elena moved forward and the woman looked up. She was greeted by two wide brown eyes.

“I…” the woman started.

“It’s okay,” Elena interrupted “I won’t tell anyone. I don’t really know who I’d tell, considering I don’t know you or anyone here, but your secret is safe with me anyway.” The woman looked surprised and confused for a second, and Elena was sure she’d given herself away. Slowly, the other woman smiled.

“I’m Mithian,” she introduced, standing up to take Elena’s hand.

“Elena,” she supplied, taking the hand and smiling warmly. “I take it you’re not meant to be reading those,” she said, gesturing to the documents on the table.

Mithian laughed, and it sounded like tinkling bells. “No, but I can’t resist knowledge, even if it’s not in my place to hold it.”

    Elena smiled at her new companion. "Me neither," she replied, and if Mithian's wide grin was anything to go on, she made a valuable friend.

 

**

 

    Over the next few days, Elena went to meet Mithian in her spare time. When she was wearing clothes that identified her as a Chesed, she wore a cloak to cover it. She found out that the two of them had a lot in common. When she was with her, everything seemed so easy. Elena began to dread the day when they would have to part.

    About a week into her visit, Elena and Mithian were in a hidden area of the castle gardens. She was telling her about the pond she went to as a child, to find the brunette staring at her, mystified. When she opened her mouth to ask what the matter was, Mithian surged forward and captured her lips. Elena responded enthusiastically.

    Kissing Mithian was like nothing she had ever felt before. The press of soft lips have way to her wicked tongue, that tangled with Elena's in a way that she could have sworn she saw fireworks. Her heart seemed to expand out of her chest and her soul soared. It seemed as though it was on a high, like a bird flying higher and higher, and it would never come down. As the kiss continued, their would connected, and for the first time, Elena felt whole. When she pulled back and looked at Mithian, she was greeted the the same expression.

     "We're..." Mithian started, in awe.

    "Soulmates," Elena finished, breathing heavily.

    Mithian looked up, and seeming to remember something, swore loudly. "I'm sorry," she said, devastated, "There's something I have to do. I promise that we'll be together soon." And with that, she ran up to the castle. Elena sat there, confused, until Grinhilda called her up to her guest chambers.

 

**

 

    She was to meet the highborn daughter of the Malchut. She was wearing her finest dress, a pale yellow that flared at the hips and gave her the air of a princess. Her golden hair was done up in a way that was too complex for her to understand. Her high heeled shoes clicked on the stone floors as she went to meet the woman her father intended her to marry. Elena was determined to make the worst impression possible - she would not marry anyone other than her soulmate. She took a deep breath and the doors opened.

    Standing in the center of the room was Mithian. She was dressed in a gown of deep purple, and a crown lay on top of her brown waves. They looked at each other with barely concealed surprise and delight. They went through the proper meeting procedures with some amusement, and when Mithian’s father looked at her expectantly, she smiled.

“Elena, the beautiful Chesed,” she started, a joyous smile spread wide across her face “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“In this lifetime, and all of our next ones,” Elena replied, and hand in hand, they went to celebrate their new lives.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was based of a Jewish folktale about soulmates. I've heard various versions of it so I chose the one I thought suited this best. Also, the seven soul types are actually based on the seven Jewish souls, more info found [here](http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/528417/jewish/What-Are-the-Seven-Types-of-Souls.htm). Thanks for reading!


End file.
